A Weekly Diary of How my Dog Carl Inspires Me to Grow Spiritually

The Carpet of Toilet Paper

I walked into the door after being gone a couple of days and was greeted by a carpet of toilet paper that had been shredded with care throughout the entire first floor. Apparently this was not enough because the destruction didn’t stop there. On the back porch lay the remains of the grill cover that had been torn off and ripped a part.

Now I didn’t want to place all the blame on Carl. Bee could have helped with the shredding and dispersing of the toilet paper but my gut told me that it must have been my mischievous little pup. I also knew that I had to take part of the blame for being away for so long. I recognized that my little dogs have a hard time being left alone so I pushed my negative attitudes aside and reached down and embraced each dog and lavished them with a good petting.

I am not sure what provokes Carl while we are away to cause such destruction but whatever it is, I hope it can stop. In the same manner each of us have our own triggers that can produce damage that is hard to sweep up and put away. For me, it can be an injustice that occurs with no control to make it right. And if the injustice involves one of my loved ones, my emotions can erupt into unkind thoughts and words that remind me of the shredded toilet paper scattered across the floor.

If anyone could have felt life was unjust it would have been Job. God had given Satan the authority to take everything from him, including his children, possessions, health and position. As Job sat in a garbage heap with his frenemies preaching to him about how his sin had caused his life to go down the drain, he must have felt life was totally unjust.

Days, weeks, and months went by and there was no relief from his agony. As each day went by, Job began to question in his heart why God had allowed such suffering. And then Job begins to desire an audience with God to ask him why.

Aren’t we just like Job when trials come our way? We can’t help but shout out to God to give us the answer to our cries for the whys in our life. But they very rarely come. Instead of getting the answer to the why question, in Job 38, God turns to Job and begins sharing with him about who He is. And as God shares through chapter 38 and 39 about Himself and how He had created the heavens and earth, Job’s heart begins to soften and his question of why evaporates from his heart.

Paul was another man that struggled with God over the thorn that had been placed in his flesh. After pleading with God three times, Jesus appeared to Paul and stated in 2 Corinthians 12: 9 “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”

So when the storms of life come our way, and they will, and you begin to question God, exchange the why with a pursuit of who God is. Seek God with all your heart and focus on Him for the comfort that He promises to provide you.

I wish I could teach Carl to focus on God but since he is a dog that would be a waste of effort. Instead, I will consider his needs and give him an extra dose of love before leaving him again. And if I come home to another carpet of toilet paper, I will have no choice but to give him a big hug and love him through it.